Manchester United

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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to BBC Sport after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup: "We managed to score in the second half after that goal near half-time. It is harder for us to go and press a little bit higher, but we managed to do it and score.

"I think we had the best chances in the game. In the end, the penalties can go both ways and today it wasn't our way. It is important to say that, with the substitutions, we had our chance to win the game.

"I think we are better with the first ball than the second ball. I think it is also sometimes the quality of the players - Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro and Josh [Zirkzee] are improving a lot.

"It's really important that we recover the players now. They were really tired. We have three days now and then back here at Old Trafford against Arsenal."

On penalty shootout: "I tried to relax the players. They know that it is something that is technical, but you have to be relaxed and confident."

On what Manchester United's goals are for the future: "The goal is to win the Premier League. I know that we are losing games, but the goal is to win the Premier League again.

"I don't know how long it will take but we have a goal and we continue forward no matter what. It is impossible to know, but you start understanding the players better and we understand the league. We'll see in the future."

Man Utd fans, what did you make of the performance? Let us know here

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This is the earliest Manchester United have exited the FA Cup as the reigning champions since 1996-97, when they went out in the fourth round after a defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

Across all competitions, Manchester United have conceded the opening goal of a game on 12 occasions at Old Trafford this season - the joint-most by any Premier League side in home matches, along with Leicester City (12).

Since making his debut in the competition in March 2020, Bruno Fernandes is the only player to reach double figures for goals in the FA Cup, having scored his 10th goal in this game.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Man Utd fans - have your say here

Fulham fans - tell us what you made of the display here

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Two matches make up Sunday's FA Cup action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Newcastle United v Brighton (13:45) - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Fulham (16:30)

All kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

I am sick of backing Manchester United. Even though they beat Ipswich on Wednesday, they did not half make hard work of it and the Tractor Boys ran them close at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho appeared to have a bit of a hissy fit after being hooked before half-time, so it will be interesting to see how Ruben Amorim deals with that. He will not have any players left at this rate if he decides to leave Garnacho out.

United are the FA Cup holders and they have beaten Fulham home and away already this season, but on both occasions it was far from convincing, and I don't really care about that anyway.

Amorim is a likeable guy, and I have got sympathy for him about the size of his task at Old Trafford but, from watching United, I cannot think of any reason to back them to win this.

I am usually wrong about Fulham, but they are going to take this one - 100%.

Sutton's prediction: 0-3

Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The road to Wembley continues this weekend, as teams battle it out to book their spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

There is still lots of Premier League interest in the competition, with 11 top-flight teams all dreaming of a trip to Wembley. Aston Villa are already in the hat for the last eight after victory over Cardiff City on Friday.

The draw will take place on BBC One after Sunday's tie between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford, which kicks off at 16:30 GMT and features Danny Murphy, Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney in the studio with host Gary Lineker.

If you're wondering how to follow the remaining fifth-round ties, find all the information you need here.

Manchester United's players "believe" in "brilliant" manager Ruben Amorim's tactics despite a difficult run of form, says defender and former captain Harry Maguire.

The Red Devils recorded their first win in four Premier league games with a hard-fought victory over Ipswich on Wednesday, with the post-match celebrations emphasising how important the result was for United.

"This group of players believes in Ruben's tactics," Maguire said. "We know we probably need additions. We cant hide away from that. If we want to get back to winning titles, there will need to be additions to help the squad.

"Tactics is obviously a big thing because of the system we changed and play but if you analyse our games there are times when we are a back three, times when we are a back four and times when we are a back five. That's what happens in football generally these days.

"We have great belief in Ruben, his tactics and all his coaches."

Amorim arrived in November after United paid £11m to recruit the 39-year-old from Portuguese club Sporting. However, despite impressive results away at Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, the club have slipped from 13th in the Premier League when he arrived to 15th now.

"When he first came in, his ideas and energy was really refreshing," Maguire said. "We just haven't picked up the results we needed to. The belief is still there and we know we can improve as players.

"He has been brilliant. Personally he has given me great belief and confidence to express myself and to go out and play my best football.

"With the right structure and players in his team, there is no doubt he has proved at Sporting that his team wins trophies and football matches. It is down to the players to buy into it and make sure you are part of it for the long term."

Listen a special episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Whether Bruno Fernandes should be Manchester United's captain is the latest talking point in this challenging season for the club.

The Portugal international has probably been the most successful signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, with 89 goals and 79 assists in 272 games in all competitions.

He remains this season's standout performer as joint top scorer with Amad Diallo on six in the Premier League, and has also provided the most assists (seven).

But there have also been several instances in which he has been criticised for his attitude and discipline since signing from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, so his role as captain continues to divide opinion.

The latest person to spark the debate is former club captain Roy Keane, who claimed "talent is not enough" for Fernandes, who he also believes is "not a fighter".

Since February 2020, either Fernandes or Harry Maguire have been captain for the majority of Manchester United's games.

Fernandes was officially handed the armband in July 2023 when Maguire was dropped from Erik ten Hag's starting XI following a period of poor form and stripped of his captaincy.

According to Opta, Maguire boasts the better win ratio of 58.1% after leading United to 72 victories in his 124 games as captain.

Fernandes has managed two more wins - 74 - in his 146 matches as skipper, which converts to 50.7% to date.

Interestingly, Maguire ignored the chance to move in the summer and has gone on to outlast Ten Hag and turn into one of Ruben Amorim's key men.

Maguire has taken up the central role in Amorim's back three and has scored three key goals across the FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League.

Could the armband be passed on again in the summer?

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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As a former Manchester United skipper, who took the club to huge success, Roy Keane led from the front. He also set incredibly high standards (most of the time) that challenged those he would regard as more able players to follow.

Keane has given Bruno Fernandes plenty of stick for his performances and the way he captains the current United team and waded in again yesterday in a fiery exchange with Ian Wright on the Stick to Football podcast.

The major problem is Fernandes is the best - and most creative - player in the current United squad.

Keane feels United are underperforming. But expecting them to reach the standards he set is futile. They cannot do it.

Former manager Erik ten Hag defended Fernandes against Keane's criticism and now Ruben Amorim has done the same.

Wright had a point in his argument with Keane, asking where United would be without him.

If it is bad now, it would be worse if Fernandes was not at the club.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round game against Fulham at Old Trafford (16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Alejandro Garnacho has "a knock" but is expected to be fit and in contention for Sunday despite walking straight down the tunnel after his first-half substitution in Wednesday's win against Ipswich.

• On the incident, Amorim said: "He came to me, to my office. He went to the dressing room, watched the game, then went home. It is not an issue but I told him that at Manchester United, everything is an issue. At this club, perception is important. He will pay for dinner for all the team. That is it."

• On former captain Roy Keane's criticism of current skipper Bruno Fernandes: "I have a different opinion. Bruno is really important for us, especially for me. He is playing well in a difficult context - he always wants the responsibility. There is a lot of frustration. He wants to win and it is really hard to deal with that frustration. I think my opinion is more important than Roy Keane's because I am the coach."

• Amorim confirmed "no-one different is back" from injury and absent players are "trying to recover to help us in the next games".

• He backed Patrick Dorgu and said the youngster will be a "very important" player for United after his error and red card against Ipswich: "I don't need to say anything to him. He is frustrated and sad, but he is working [towards] the next games. He is going to be a very important player for us."

• On summer recruitment plans: "We need to make some deals to make some deals. We know the situation. We are changing a lot of things in our squad and the academy. We are working on a lot of things. We are preparing for next season, for sure."

• On Andre Onana's form: "He did some great saves that saved our team and sometimes [he has] some problems, but that is normal. I think if you look at our team you can find a lot of players with that issue. We just have to support Andre. We need to forget about the past and prepare for the future."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Watch live coverage of Man Utd v Fulham from on Saturday from 16:30 on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport Website

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We asked for your views on Bruno Fernandes' leadership qualities as the captain of Manchester United.

It comes after ex-club captain Roy Keane said the playmaker is a "talented player" but "leadership is action" and that Fernandes is "not a fighter".

Here are some of your comments:

Dave: No, Keane was not right on this occasion. There have been times that Bruno has had his strops, but recently he has been the only player fighting for the shirt! The other players need to follow his example. I dread to think what position we'd be in without Bruno!

Tony: Keane was correct. Bruno has very little self-control and is incapable of leadership. Erik ten Hag was right when he said today's players cannot accept criticism and with what they get paid, they warrant any just faultfinding. There are too many players that won't graft for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, most of them wear Manchester United shirts.

Alan: He is United's best player and you can't fault his commitment and workrate. However, his style as captain isn't helping the team. He is too emotional and usually ends up agitated during games, which increases tension through the rest of the team. Part of the problem is there aren't any natural leaders in the squad - the only other option at present would be Harry Maguire.

Scott: Keane was correct in some ways, but very wrong in others. Fernandes can indeed be a polarising figure and does show his frustration (or wears his heart in his sleeve), but Ian Wright was bang on because, where would we be without him? The issue is that we need five or six more players with Bruno's desire, work ethic, never-say-die attitude and critically his ongoing availability. It's easy for Roy and other ex-players to criticise but they played in a massively successful team that had an abundance of leaders. How many of them can say, hand on heart, they would not react exactly the same way as Bruno if they were playing in this team?

Dan: Fernandes is probably the best option we have as captain as no-one else really shows any leadership qualities. I think it is certainly something we are lacking at the moment. It is probably best to stick with him until a leader is brought in or better established.

Tim: Maguire should be reinstated as skipper. Fernandes is too hot-headed and not the right skipper United need in this moment. Unless we can persuade Keano to come back, of course.

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As we approach the crunch stage of the 2024-25 Premier League season, it only feels right to address what would be a good outcome for Manchester United from here onwards and what my biggest fear for Ruben Amorim's side is too.

It is not guaranteed but there is a good chance that Manchester United will finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table this season.

But for all the doom and gloom that exists around them, they are still in the Europa League and they remain strong favourites. Plus, they remain in the FA Cup and they have the chance to retain it.

Those cups could make a difference to their season, so if they do start to improve and show better performances then they have the opportunity to be in two cup finals and finish a very disappointing season positively.

Plus, it will help the fans to gain connection and belief in Amorim and the new players.

Manchester United might not be back next season competing for the Premier League title, but if they can show they are taking small steps forward then that is all they can ask for.

In this moment, it feels like it has been stationary, perhaps even moving backwards or sideways.

Which leads me to my fear of fans losing faith in Amorim before the season finishes. He has said since he arrived that it would be a long process, but naturally people still want results in this moment as well.

If the team is showing no signs of progression at all, then the worst case scenario is that fans want someone else on the side line. And given recent performances, that worst case scenario does not feel a million miles away.

It should be because he is a young, intelligent manager, who understands the challenge ahead and what it means to coach at a club like Manchester United.

But he has not been able to shine, so to say people have been disappointed in what they have seen so far would probably be an understatement.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

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Manchester United have progressed from their past nine FA Cup ties against Fulham, since a 2-1 quarter-final defeat in 1908.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has criticised Bruno Fernandes for his leadership of the team.

Keane says the Portuguese playmaker is a "talented player" but "leadership is action" and that Fernandes is "not a fighter".

Is Keane right or being unfair? Tell us here

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is prepared to turn his January loan move to Aston Villa into a permanent deal. (Sun - subscription required), external

Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also keeping tabs on 27-year-old Rashford. (Football Insider), external

Victor Osimhen is keen on a transfer to Manchester United, although they will need to overcome several major clubs to sign the 26-year-old Nigeria striker, who is on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United are prepared to offload 22-year-old forward Rasmus Hojlund in order to gain Osimhen's signature. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

The Premier League could be forced to have two separate transfer windows this summer because of disruption caused by the Club World Cup. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

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